In a 5-3 vote, the Phoenix City Council has amended its human-relations ordinance to forbid places of public accommodation “to directly or indirectly display, circulate, publicize or mail any advertisement, notice or communication which states or implies” that anyone “would be unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, [or] undesirable” on the basis of “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.”

The amended ordinance also prohibits discrimination in employment and housing on the same basis.

“As written, the proposed ordinance could be interpreted as forcing people to actively endorse, support and promote actions and behaviors that violate their own personal, deeply held religious beliefs,” the diocese said in a statement.

“By failing to provide a clear means by which individuals may, in good conscience and without malice, practice their faith and live their values without fear of prosecution and punishment, the proposed ‘non-discrimination’ ordinance actually could be used as a means to codify and mandate unjust discrimination against people of faith.”

Additional sources for this storySome links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach seven million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Progress toward our August expenses ($33,944 to go):

$35,000.00
$1,056.00

97%
3%

Sound Off!CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!